IDMP Concept Note

7/27/2019 IDMP Concept Note

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November 2011

INTEGRATED DROUGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

A Joint WMO-GWP Programme

Concept Note


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INTEGRATED DROUGHT MANAGEMENTA Joint WMO-GWP Programme

SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAMME

Project Title: IntegratedDrought Management Programme (IDMP)

Thematic coverage: Climate Change Adaptation in Water and Agriculture and other sectors

Driver (s): World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Global Water Partnership(GWP)

Partners: Intergovernmental,governmental and non-governmental organizations involved

in drought monitoring, prediction, drought risk reduction and management1,

Beneficiaries: Primary beneficiaries of the Programme would be the government institutionsand agencies responsible for developing drought management policies and/orimplementing systems for drought risk mitigation, drought monitoring, prediction,preparedness and response at various spatial scales such as regional, national,provincial, municipal and village. Secondary beneficiaries would be thedecision-makers and managers whose task is to implement these policiesincluding mitigation, adaptation; non-governmental agencies involved in global,regional and national drought advocacy, awareness and response efforts;stakeholders vulnerable to drought; and population in general.

Spatial coverage: Global, but directed towards and integrated with regional and nationaldevelopment programmes.

Principal approach: The IDMP will promote an approach that moves drought management practicesfrom reactive, representing the crisis management to more proactive droughtmanagement based on risk management principles. It will provide global co-ordination for efforts towards integration of science, policy and implementationby strengthening drought monitoring, drought risk assessment, development ofdrought prediction; drought early warning services and sharing best practices atthe local, national and regional levels. The IDMP will advocate and facilitateintegration of responses by various agencies from various sectors such aswater, land, agriculture, ecosystems, and energy on one hand and drought-

affected sectors on the other. At the same time it will strive for parallel andinteractive vertical integration of science, policy and society through droughtmonitoring, risk assessment prediction and management through mitigation,community preparedness and response; and regional, national, provincial andmunicipal (village) level strategies.

1These other organizations involved in drought management will be defined during the first phase of the

project. They may include, for example, other UN agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations,

regional centres and centres/institutions of excellence.


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Services provided:1. Support for regional coordination of drought monitoring, prediction and early

warning activities, serving as interface between the climate service providersand various stakeholders involved in drought management;

2. Collection and dissemination of information and knowledge on good practices indrought mitigation, preparedness and response;

3. Guidelines, methodologies, tools and supporting documentation for policydevelopment and management practices and procedures;

4. Inception of pilot projects and coordination of regional projects to showcase bestpractices through scientific inputs into policy, planning for drought risk reductionand drought management;

5. Support regional and national efforts in drought risk awareness andmanagement;

6. Capacity building and advice on Integrated Drought Management.

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1. BACKGROUND

1.1 Problem Statement

Drought is widely recognized as a creeping natural hazard that occurs due to the natural climaticvariability. Droughts occur with varying frequency in all climatic regimes. In recent years, concern hasgrown world-wide that droughts may be increasing in frequency, intensity, and duration as a result ofclimate change. Likewise, the impacts associated with droughts are increasing because of changingsocietal vulnerabilities.

Traditionally, response to drought throughout the world has been through a reactive, crisismanagement approach. This approach to drought management responds to the impacts of droughtonce they occur in an attempt to speed the recovery process. This crisis management approach hasbeen noted to be costly, largely untimely, poorly coordinated, and often results in resources orassistance being misdirected. Drought impacts illustrate the vulnerability of societies to drought and

programs that provide assistance to those affected by drought are essentially treating the symptoms ofvulnerability rather than the causes. Many assistance programs, in fact, result in increasedvulnerability to future drought events by making individuals and societies more reliant on governmentprograms or assistance from donor organizations. As a consequence of an increased frequency ofdrought and societal vulnerability to extended period of water shortages, the economic, social andenvironmental impacts of droughts have increased significantly worldwide. Because of their long-termsocio-economic and environmental impacts, droughts are by far the most damaging of all naturaldisasters.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC, 2007) states thatthe world indeed has become more drought-prone during the past 25 years, and that climateprojections for the 21st century indicate increased frequency of severe droughts in many parts of the

world. Whether due to natural climate variability or climate change, there is an urgent need to improvedrought management strategies that will lead to improved coping capacity. These strategies must bescience based and directed at managing the risks and mitigate the effects of drought.

1.2 General socio-economic aspects

Drought is an insidious natural hazard and there is no clear understanding of the onset of drought, itstermination, and common techniques to measure its severity and spatial extent. Drought rarely drawspublic sentiment and the response is generally lacking as compared to the dramatic, more visualnatural hazards such as floods and earthquakes that result in significant structural damage toinfrastructure. Indeed drought characteristics differ for different climate regimes and the impacts are

directly proportional to societal vulnerability. The impact of drought in a region depends on theadaptive capacity of communities or the ecosystems to cope.

Coping with drought using exclusively traditionally accepted measures are clearly not enough to avoidincreasingly severe drought impacts that negatively impact livelihoods and set back nationaldevelopment targets. Some reasons for this are, for instance, the changing livelihoods patterns andthe consequences of migration, lack of clear property rights (different for men and women); theseoften mean a loss of important traditions at the community level in an scenario where drought cyclesare shorter.

Indeed the impacts of droughts spread well beyond agriculture. As greater demand for waterincreases with increasing population and development, periods of water shortages resulting from

extended periods of deficient precipitation and high temperatures often result in serious impacts on


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sectors such as energy, tourism and recreation, transportation, health, and ecosystem services. Thesocio-economic effects of drought occur at the local level but ripple through the economy to theregional and national levels. In many countries, one of the most significant effects of drought is theirreversible migration of the affected rural population, usually to urban areas.

The UNDP Drylands Development Centre estimates that dry lands are inhabited by over 2 billionpeople worldwide. Empirical evidence shows that incidences of poverty are particularly high in the drylands, and most countries affected by desertification and drought are among the poorest and mostmarginalized in the world. Strategies for drought management can be easily extended to water scarceareas with the aim of countering desertification.

The assessment of long-term socio-economic effects of drought is complicated by the scarcity ofreliable statistics. The impacts of drought are seldom documented. In addition, methodologies todocument these impacts are not standardized so those statistics that are available are notcomparable. Given that the impacts of drought are a key indicator of vulnerability, there is an urgentneed to document these impacts in order to identify those sectors most affected and to devise and

implement mitigation measures in a systematic manner that are directed at reducing those impacts.

By the year 2025, the population projected to be living in water-scarce countries will rise to between1.1 and 2.4 billion, representing roughly 13% to 20% of the projected global population (ref). Many ofthese countries are also experiencing high population growth rates. In addition, other non-climaticaspects continue to amplify the severity and impacts of drought. In Africa, the Sahel drought isaggravated by over cropping, as well as by socio-political problems and conflict.

Semi-arid and arid regions generally display strong climate variability, both temporally and spatially,and they frequently face extremely dry situations. As pointed out above, socio-economic changessuch as population growth, urbanization, increasing demand for water per capita, land use changes, orloss of traditional knowledge and practices to adapt to drought, can exacerbate the vulnerability of

particular populations to drought. For instance, pastoralists are among the most vulnerable groupswhose needs are rarely reflected in national development policy.

Drylands are found on every continent, most extensively in Africa and Asia. They embrace a range ofclimatic conditions, including the hottest tropical deserts, high-altitude regimes and temperate plainsthat experience extreme cold during the winter. However, all have limited water resources becauseprecipitation is characteristically scarce and unreliable and evaporation is typically high. On average,drylands exhibit a gradient of increasing primary productivity from hyper-arid, arid, and semi-arid to drysubhumid areas. But averages mask considerable variability. Rainfall totals often vary greatly fromyear to year and over short geographical distances. The result is a group of physical environmentscharacterized by dynamism.

Dryland populations proven resilience can be increased with an improved understanding of how suchecosystems operate especially under severe water-scarce scenarios that cause disequilibrium in thesystems.

1.3 Need for Intervention

The impacts of drought on the community are due both to the physical nature of the hazard as well asto the communitys ability to manage the associated risks. Droughts have often been dealt with in areactive manner through drought relief programmes rather than by applying a pre-emptive

management approach that reduces vulnerability making the effective use of scientific knowledge and


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all available relevant information. Policies related to national and regional management of drought aregenerally unsatisfactory and even lacking in most countries. Likewise, drought early warning,consisting of monitoring, prediction and well-developed information delivery systems, is inadequate inmost regions. Even when available, the scientific information is not fully incorporated into decision-

making processes because of the lack of sufficient capacity in many drought-prone countries to usedrought forecasts and related tools effectively in management practices.

There is need for a better understanding of the scientific basis of droughts: their definition, monitoring,impacts, prediction and to bring this knowledge to sectoral experts involved in various aspects ofdrought management. Understanding the historical frequency, duration, and spatial extent of droughtassists planners in determining the likelihood and potential severity of future droughts. Thecharacteristics of past droughts provide benchmarks for projecting similar conditions into thefuture. At the same time, successful experiences in adopting a comprehensive and active approachacross various sectors in dealing with droughts should be widely shared, and the capacity to applysuch approaches built and developed where needed.

The mitigation actions against drought risks are generally taken through sectoral perspectives and ad-hoc interventions. The fragmentation of responsibilities for actions taken in various aspects of droughtmanagement in most countries suffer from insufficient coordination among various organizations andstakeholders concerned. Inadequate institutional arrangements impede stakeholder participation inplanning and implementation of drought management and mitigation actions. The development ofdrought mitigation plans encompasses effective drought early warning and delivery systems,vulnerability assessments, and mitigation and response actions. The development of these plansmust be accomplished with the full engagement of stakeholders from the multiple sectors affected bydrought.

The present proposal addresses these issues on one hand and, once implemented, sets the stage fora possible demand-driven support mechanism for the communities, countries and regions affected by

drought. The programme proposes to bring together the UN and other inter-governmentalorganizations dealing with the climate, water, land, agricultural and ecosystem aspects of droughts.

2. UNDERSTANDING DROUGHT

Drought2 is an extreme climatic condition that results from a deficiency of precipitation from expectedor normal that, when extended over a season or longer period of time, is insufficient to meet thedemands of human activities and the environment. Drought is a relative, rather than absolute,condition and is a normal part of climate. It is a temporary aberration, in contrast to aridity, which is apermanent feature of climate.

As drought and its impacts are not apparently visible in a dramatic fashion, given the nature of theirslow onset, in the initial phases they are generally ignored by the media and the public at large andhence get late attention from the politicians. One factor that distinguishes drought from other naturalhazards is the absence of a precise and universally accepted recognition of drought conditions.Definitions and perceptions of drought differ region by region and are application- or impact- specific.The spatial extent and severity of drought will vary on seasonal and annual timescales and theepicenter for drought will change temporally as drought persists over an extended period of time.

2According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Mitigate the Impacts from Drought

(UNCCD), drought" is defined as the naturally occurring phenomenon that exists when precipitation has beensignificantly below normal recorded levels, causing serious hydrological imbalances that adversely affect landresource production systems.


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Droughts that occur in the North American Great Plains differ from those that occur in NortheastBrazil, southern Africa, western Europe, eastern Australia, or the North China Plain. The amount,seasonality, and form of precipitation received are specific to each of these locations.

Drought means different things to a water manager, agricultural producer, hydroelectric power plantoperator, and wildlife biologist. Even within sectors, there are many different perspectives of droughtbecause impacts may differ markedly. Droughts can be classified as meteorological, agricultural, orhydrological droughts and differ from one another in three essential characteristics: intensity, duration,and spatial coverage.

There are numerous natural indicators of drought that should be monitored routinely to determine itsonset, duration, severity and spatial characteristics. Although all types of droughts originate from adeficiency of precipitation, it is insufficient to rely solely on this climate element to assess severity andresultant impacts because of factors identified previously. Effective drought early warning systemsmust integrate precipitation and other climatic parameters with water information such as stream flow,snow pack, ground water levels, reservoir and lake levels, and soil moisture into a comprehensive

assessment of current and future drought and water supply conditions.

A change in the variability of climate, or a trend in any one of its components, may lead to latitudinaland altitudinal shifts in the distribution of terrestrial ecosystems (e.g. rainforests, savannas, steppes).In a given watershed (catchment or basin), these changes might have tangible effects on the waterbudget and thus on the availability of water resources. Freshwater ecosystems (such as ponds, lakes,wetlands and river channels) are essential components of the environment. They provide support forthe existence of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, environmental goods (e.g. water, foods) and services.

There are both traditional (indigenous) and technological approaches to reducing the risk of drought,and building resilience to its effects. Any technological management of drought requires medium(seasonal) to long-term (annual to decadal) climate prediction and information, to be translated into

early warning and response. The response needs to take into account all available water resourcesincluding surface water, groundwater, soil moisture, and precipitation. For instance, rainwaterharvesting is either a traditional or a highly innovative approach in different contexts. In manycountries and regions, such as in Australia and the Mediterranean region, severe droughts havetriggered water sector reforms in order to build greater water security, manage water demand, andsafeguard livelihoods. An integrated approach to water resources management, involvingstakeholders from the communities and sectors affected by drought, is essential and offers a soundbasis for longer-term adaptation to climate change.

A common understanding of droughts is essential for its comprehensive management in an integratedapproach, addressing the over-all development goals and well-being of the people living in drought-prone areas, and involving the different sectors and stakeholders affected. There is need to

mainstream this understanding into development policy and planning processes.

3. NEED FOR THE INTEGRATED DROUGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

3.1 Current Context and Status

In the past, drought management has been reactive, resulting in inefficient allocation of water andavoidable economic losses. Within the water sector, planning for short-term response to drought hadlargely been confined to the water authorities placing ad hoc restrictions on water use. Efficientplanning necessitates establishing in advance both short and long-term responses across sectors tometeorological, agricultural and hydrological droughts. Improvements in weather and climate


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forecasting capabilities and derived drought monitoring and prediction provide the information base forsuch practices.

A comprehensive drought monitoring and early warning system needs to provide a complete

understanding of the drought risks, early warning of a droughts onset and end, determine its severity,and deliver that information to a broad group of stakeholders in many climate- and water-sensitivesectors in a timely manner. With such information and services, the impacts of droughts can bereduced in many cases. With the threat of climate change and the likely amplification of the frequency,severity and duration of droughts, the latest knowledge and capacities in climate science need to betranslated into operational products and services to stakeholders. This will enable countries toenhance their capacities in climate-related risk management. In this context, integrated droughtmanagement can also be part of the tools for an adaptation strategy to climate change throughimproved management of climate variability.

3.2 Example of a Successful Application of an Integrated Management Programme

The successful model of the existing WMO/GWP Associated Programme on Flood Management hasserved to illustrate the integrated approach to flood management, albeit tackling a problem of theopposite extreme, by comprehensively addressing the scientific, engineering, environmental, social,institutional and legal aspects of the flood issue. Over ten years the programme has established well-recognized flood management guidelines as well as a demand-driven mechanism, the HelpDesk, towork with countries and stakeholders in reducing flood risks and mitigating negative flood impacts. Itis envisaged that the lessons learned and the experiences of this joint programme will inform thedevelopment of the proposed new programme on integrated drought management.

3.3 Strategic Elements of an Integrated Drought Management Programme

Due to its frequency of occurrence and the profound impacts associated with drought, countries needto devote more attention to the development of national strategies to reduce its economic, social, andenvironmental consequences. Critical components of such strategies are:

Comprehensive policy framework at both national and regional levels to take preventive actionagainst droughts;

Scientific and evidence-informed basis to proposed interventions;

Multi-disciplinary and scientific inputs to developing policies and strategies whereby water,land, agriculture and ecosystem issues are tackled jointly;

Legal and institutional framework defining responsibilities and facilitating cross-institutionalcollaboration and coordination;

National and regional framework for drought monitoring, early warning and information

delivery; Risk based approaches to drought management;

Stakeholder participation in policy development and its implementation through advocacy,public awareness, and education.

3.4 Beneficiaries

The proposed activities under the IDMP aim to increase the resilience of societies to droughts.Consequently, populations in drought prone areas, which in many cases belong to the poorer strata ofsociety, are the ultimate target groups for the Programme. On the planning and implementation levelof the proposed Programme, distinct groups of beneficiaries are addressed:


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(a) Government organizations and agencies including financial institutions with improvedcapacities in the development and implementation of national drought policies;

(b) Institutions responsible for the development and management of land, water and agriculture;(c) Institutions responsible for developing preparedness plans and taking preventive actions;

(d) Regional and national organizations, agencies and institutions engaged in monitoring,prediction, and providing early warning of drought ;

(e) Government and non-governmental organizations and agencies responsible for theimplementation of drought response (crisis management) activities at various levels; and

(f) Local, national and regional institutions involved in awareness building, research andeducation.

4. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED PROGRAMME

4.1 Vision

To improve societal resilience to drought through integrated risk management.

4.2 Objective of the Programme

The wider scope of the Programme is to contribute to national efforts for poverty alleviation in drought-affected regions of the world through an integrated approach to drought management cutting acrosssectoral, disciplinary, and institutional jurisdictions. As a response to the perception of the droughtproblem and its complex cross-sectoral impacts on local and national economies, particularly onwater, land, agriculture, ecosystems, and energy sectors, the objective of the IDMP is:

To support stakeholders at all levels by providing them with policy and management guidancethrough globally coordinated generation of scientific information and sharing best practicesand knowledge for integrated drought management.

The proposed Programme will contribute to the global coordination of drought-related efforts ofexisting organizations and agencies with regard to:

Better scientific understanding of, and inputs for, drought management;

Improved knowledge base, with better access to information and products;

Drought risk assessment, monitoring, prediction and early warning;

Policy and planning for drought preparedness and mitigation across sectors; and

Drought risk reduction and response.

While the spatial scope is global, the results are expected to be policy relevant and tailored to specificregional and national needs and requirements. The intent is to facilitate actors and partners in varioussectors, disciplines, and institutions to provide better drought monitoring and prediction on a globaland regional basis, and to use it effectively in the development of short-term and long-term droughtmanagement plans and actions. The overarching approach proposed for the Programme centersaround four key principles:

1. To shift the focus from reactive (crisis management) to proactive and programmaticmeasures through mitigation, vulnerability reduction and preparedness;

2. To integrate the vertical planning and decision making processes at regional, national andcommunity levels into a framework of horizontally integrated sectors and disciplines (suchas water, land, agriculture, ecosystems, and energy);


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3. To promote evolution of a knowledge base and establishing mechanisms for sharing it withstakeholders across sectors at all levels;

4. To build capacity of various stakeholders at different levels.

Drought planning and management within the scope of the Programme will incorporate a three-stageapproach involving development of comprehensive drought response plans, short-term planning, andlong-term drought planning guidelines. The proposed integrated approach places emphasis ongovernments working with a range of stakeholders to improve drought risk management practices,reduce vulnerability and build resilience, for example, of water users in various sectors (farmers, watersupply operators, urban areas etc.) to cope with drought situations. The approach will involvevulnerability analysis for prioritization and effective targeting of efforts, and will also integrate farmproductivity, soil and water protection, and financial management aspects. Sub-programmes mayneed to be introduced to improve drought monitoring, identify knowledge gaps and areas for furtherresearch on drought-related subjects, and support drought extension services.

5. ACTIVITIES IN THE PROGRAMME PHASES

The Programme will be undertaken in two phases: an Inception Phase of nine months, followed byan Implementation Phase, initially extending over four years. The detailed programme strategy,work plans and budget for the Implementation Phase will be developed during the Inception Phase.Continuation of the Programme beyond the initial four years of the Implementation Phase will bereviewed based on its evaluation by the appropriate bodies and partners one year before the periodends.

5.1 Inception Phase

The following activities are planned for the Inception Phase of the Programme:

(a) Close consultations with relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizationsactive in the field of drought early warning, policy development and management (land, waterand agriculture) through an inception workshop.

(b) Identification of potential partners working in drought management issues so as to identify andbuild on their strengths, seeking ways to serve their needs, obtain their commitment, and agreeon their roles in the Programme in order to cover the necessary scientific, policy, socio-economic, advocacy and the institutional aspects.

(c) An extensive enquiry will be commenced to assemble comparable information on pastdroughts and drought-related disasters, both as regards their physical characteristics and theirimpact on the local economy and society.

(d) Review and assessment of services provided, including operational as well as technical

aspects, by the drought monitoring and prediction centres.(e) Regional dialogues will be held in order to build upon existing regional initiatives in droughtmanagement, preparedness and mitigation, and to create buy-in by regional stakeholders intothe Programme.

(f) Development of concept of demonstration projects in consultation with regional partners or theregional nodes.

(g) The information will be used to prepare an inception report including a detailed programmestrategy, work plans and budget for the Implementation Phase of the Programme.

(h) The inception report will also describe the current status of the regional programme nodes andthe linkages between the global, regional and national levels.


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5.2 Implementation Phase

Activities in the implementation phase would be taken up under following categories:

(a) The relevant activities commenced under (a) to (f) of the Inception Phase will be continued andcompleted during this Phase.

(b) A broadly comprehensive and integrated approach to drought management will be developedand discussed at national and international forums to address global changes and challenges.

(c) A catalytic role will be played in facilitating the development of regional activities under theprogramme and in coordinating existing and new regional projects.

(d) Pilot demonstration projects will be undertaken, in cooperation with relevant regional groups, toapply the new approach to drought management, provided the funds are available.

(e) Efforts will be made to obtain funding to implement the plans developed for each of thelocations; some may require substantial capital investment, while others may focus more onfacilitating legislative and regulative actions.

(f) Experience with drought planning and management in each region will be collected, and madeavailable in the form of guidelines, methodologies and tools for use in other regions.

(g) A resource centre will be established, with an interface called a HelpDesk.

(h) An operational link will be maintained with the IWRM information community and the GWPToolBox, so that, on one hand, maximum use can be made of existing practices and techniquesand, on the other hand, lessons learnt and new techniques developed are fed back into the

community for wider dissemination.

(i) The resource centre could be designed to act as a focus for international coordination and assistdrought prone communities and donors to work together.

(j) One year before the end of this phase, programme evaluation would be undertaken to ascertainthe desirability and feasibility of extending the Programme.

6. OUTPUTS AND IMPACTS OF THE PROGRAMME

The major output from this Programme will be a coordinated framework for drought management,

prediction and monitoring by networking and integrating new and existing programmes and activitiesworldwide, identifying the gaps and bridging them. The framework will be accompanied by a set ofguidelines and tools, including a HelpDesk for the development of sound and appropriate droughtpolicies and management plans for use by countries and regions, as well as the improved use ofdrought prediction services. Capacity building will be an important aspect of the Programme.

Outputs

The drought management guidelines will include tools for action as well as case studies demonstratingthe value of the integrated process. In particular, the following outputs are envisaged:


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i. Compilation of information and knowledge on past droughts, their impacts and practices indrought planning and management;

ii. Inception of pilot projects and coordination of regional and national projects for improved

drought early warning services including monitoring and prediction to showcase bestpractices in scientific inputs, policy and planning for drought management and drought riskreduction and drought management;

iii. Development of an appropriate mechanisms for stakeholder buy-in and for the establishmentof regional drought management and preparedness networks;

iv. Creation of protocols for standards for data, data products and decision-support toolsincluding the use of GIS mapping methods in support of drought early warning, informationdelivery and risk management systems;

v. Provision of technical as well as managerial and institutional guidance in the use of the above

products and tools in partnership with appropriate institutions;

vi. Support regional and national efforts in drought risk awareness through advocacy andfacilitated dialogues with donors;

vii. Establishment of a Drought HelpDesk to respond to expressed needs for assistance indrought risk assessment, monitoring, prediction, early warning, preparedness and mitigation;

viii. Development of guidelines for national drought policies.

Impacts

The Programme is expected to have substantial impacts in the long term as well as short term on thefollowing:

Potential for poverty alleviation by focusing on prevention strategies in the drought-proneareas;

Increased resilience of economies and societies to the incidents of droughts;

A multi-disciplinary approach to drought management through land, water, and agricultureperspectives;

Improved climate, water and agriculture information for drought management and climatechange adaptation;

Improved approach and tools for drought management supporting land, water and agriculturethrough Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and sustainable land management(SLM);

Ensured coordination and scientific back-up to regional drought management projects;

Effective use of information by those responsible for the development of national droughtpolicies and their management in the broadest sense, including those concerned withemergency response, as well as operation of engineering works (such as reservoirs) and water

supply systems;


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Cross-fertilization of ideas and experience between regions, so that success achieved in oneway be applied in others;

Enhanced potential for improved coordination of international assistance and response tocurrent drought events;

Broader Stakeholder participation and buy-in through networks in drought management forpolicy development and implementation;

Increased capacities in countries to adapt to the increasing number of droughts due to climatechange, and robust mechanisms for dealing with regional and transboundary aspects;

Coordinated building and development of drought management institutions at global, regionaland national level (through the identification of experts and centres of excellence) and sharingof knowledge and common practices.

7. MANAGEMENT OF THE PROGRAMME

The guiding principle in the management of the Programme will be its fully participatory andtransparent approach, with active involvement of collaborating organizations, agencies and theiractivities that contribute to the objectives of the proposed Programme. While the details of the overalloversight and technical guidance will be worked out during the consultation with various partnersduring the inception phase, it is envisaged that there will be an International Management Committeeand an Advisory Committee to steer and guide the overall implementation. Membership of thiscommittee will comprise of representatives of collaborating partners and technical experts, the latterbeing invited on an ad-hoc basis.

The Programme will seek coordination with other relevant international initiatives with the aim ofavoiding duplication of efforts, increase efficiency in the use of resources and building on synergies.Related national, regional and global projects/activities will need to be taken into consideration and willbe identified during the Inception Phase. The Global Water Partnership through its Regional WaterPartnerships will guide and assist in developing the regional linkages of the Programme along withother partners.

7.1 Technical Support Unit (TSU)

The TSU will assist the inception and technical implementation of the Programme. The WorldMeteorological Organization (WMO) provides the scientific basis for managing weather, climate and

water extremes. Through its long-standing expertise and activities in the field of drought prediction andmanagement and close links with the national agencies and regional centers responsible for droughtprediction, national agencies responsible for drought preparedness, including the hydrological andagricultural agencies it has set up an operational network that would be essential for the success ofthe programme. Furthermore, WMO is a partner in several programme-relevant intergovernmentalprocesses of the United Nations System. It is proposed, therefore, that the TSU be located within theWMO Secretariat in Geneva, thus providing synergies with existing initiatives in climate, water andagriculture.

Given the important role played by the professional associations, it is planned that intergovernmentaland non-governmental organizations involved in aspects of drought planning and management act aspartners of the Programme through a consortium of institutions of excellence on a voluntary basis.

These will be identified during the Inception Phase of the Programme. The involvement and


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collaboration of a number of UN and NGO partners will be essential for this Programme to succeed.Involvement of these organizations will be investigated and discussed with them during the inceptionphase.

A principal tool for global coordination will be an institutionalized dialogue between the Programmepartners using various media and communication platforms to ensure up-to-date information about on-going and planned activities and consultations with regard to joint and multilateral activities in droughtmanagement. The development and implementation of regional dialogues and demonstration projectsfocusing on drought management will be of particular interest to the Programme and facilitate multi-lateral and global collaboration.

7.2 Partnerships

The Programme will be implemented through the major international/ regional institutions dealing withland, water, agriculture, ecosystems and energy coordinated through the World MeteorologicalOrganization, working together with the partner organizations within the network of the Global Water

Partnership. The active involvement and collaboration of a number of institutions will ensure that acomprehensive approach with the involvement of all concerned sectors in a multi-disciplinary mannerfor this Integrated Drought Management Programme to succeed in creating a responsive anddemand-driven process.

Many international, regional, and national organizations will have a vested interest in the IDMP asproposed. In addition, many NGOs are also committed to the sustainable management of land andwater resources and the impacts of drought on these resources One of the goals of theimplementation phase of Programme development would be to engage other organizations indiscussions pertaining to their interest in this activity.

The institutions include, but are not restricted to:

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the University of Nebraska

International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)

UNDP Drylands Development Centre

ReliefWeb (UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA))

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

World Bank International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

European Joint Research Centre

International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID)

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

European Environment Agency

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

The International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI)

Various regional organizations such as SADC, ECOWAS, IGAD, ASEAN

Regional economic and social commissions of the U.N.

Regional Drought Monitoring Centres

other academic institutions working on drought and drought-related issues


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8. PROPOSED GOVERANCE STRUCTURE

During the initial phase of the proposed programme, an Ad-Hoc Steering Committee (AHSC) will becreated to help guide the initial phases of the programme. It is proposed that the AHSC would becomposed of representatives from the following organizations: WMO/CAgM, GWP, UNCCD, NDMC,FAO, and IUCN. The initial proposal for governance structure for the IDMP will be based on thestructure of the Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM). The APFM governancestructure is composed of an advisory committee of interested partner organizations (see section 7.2)and a management committee of about 10 members. The AHSC will further develop a proposedgovernance structure based on the APFM model.

9. CONCLUSIONS

Drought and poverty are linked in a self-amplifying cycle that can only be halted by strategicallyshifting from a crisis management approach to a more comprehensive approach of Integrated DroughtManagement that aims at drought risk management encompassing preventive and mitigativemeasures appropriately with preparedness and response activities.

As the frequency, severity, and duration of droughts increase as a result of climate change and otherfactors affecting the vulnerability of societies to drought, the concept of policy planning andmanagement of drought needs to evolve. Science is in a position to be able to predict the onset ofsuch events with decreasing uncertainty, a capacity that needs to be appropriately factored intoreducing drought risks and mitigating its impact on the environment as well as on socio-economicactivities, as part of broader strategies for adaptation to climate change. Using and sharing scientificknowledge and experiences through multi-disciplinary problem solving, international cooperation and

stakeholder participation, the IDMP is expected to facilitate and provide an objective-orientedframework for the monitoring, prediction and management of drought on regional, national andcommunity levels.

The proposed Programme provides a platform and mechanism to enhance drought managementcapacities in a coordinated, pro-active and responsive manner based upon improved droughtprediction and monitoring services, and the collaboration of a multitude of partners representing allrelevant sectors in drought management. By collectively working on improving drought managementthrough a risk-based approach, societies can become more resilient to future drought episodes and,subsequently, reduce the economic, social, and environmental impacts associated with this pervasivenatural hazard.

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Documents

IDMP Concept Note